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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · craft · row · season · band · root · chair · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — the cause
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — certain
  10. band — a music group
  11. row — to paddle
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a ring
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. craft — boats
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — a line
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com